| Age | PA | H | 2B | HR | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA |
| 21 | 536 | 134 | 30 | 12 | 52 | 73 | 38 | .285 | .356 | .434 | .361 |
The Year in Review: Polanco entered 2013 with no experience above Low-A ball. Despite that fact, he finished the year in Triple-A. He showed gap power, controlled the strike zone and also nabbed 38 bases in 49 tries. The young outfielder appeared in 44 Dominican Winter League games and produced a .922 OPS.
The Scouting Report: A fast-mover, Polanco is still learning so it’s impressive that he reached Triple-A on the strength of his raw talent. The outfielder has a chance to be an above-average fielder with right field being his most likely destination where he’ll be able to showcase his plus arm. At the plate, he flashes the ability to hit for both average and power but he’s still learning to identify and handle breaking balls. He also has a bit of a long swing at times and needs to focus on taking a shorter route to the ball because he doesn’t need to swing out of his shoes to hit the ball with authority — thanks to his above-average bat speed.
The Year Ahead: It seemed inconceivable a year ago but Polanco may very well make his MLB debut in 2014 at the age of 22. Most likely, though, he’ll spend the majority of the season in Triple-A.
The Career Outlook: Polanco has all the tools necessary to develop into an impact outfielder at the big league level. The development of (or lack thereof) his power tool will help determine if he’ll be more of table-setter or run producer.
| Age | G | GS | IP | H | HR | K/9 | BB/9 | ERA | FIP |
| 21 | 27 | 26 | 149.1 | 144 | 9 | 8.80 | 3.19 | 3.68 | 3.27 |
The Year in Review: Taillon opened 2013 back where he ended the ’12 campaign: Double-A. The right-hander produced a solid season at that level with a good ground-ball rate and 106 strikeouts in 110.1 innings. He received a late-season promotion to Triple-A where he was more of a fly-ball pitcher but struck out another 37 batters in 37.0 innings. Taillon made one start in the Arizona Fall League but left due to a minor groin injury.
The Scouting Report: Like Gerrit Cole, Taillon’s numbers haven’t been as eye-popping as one might expected given the pure stuff. However, Pittsburgh’s philosophy of focusing on fastball command, throwing strikes and pitching to contact deviates from the skills that would lead to high strikeout rates. The right-hander has swing-and-miss stuff with a mid-90s fastball that can hit the upper 90s, as well as a curveball that has plus potential. His third pitch is a changeup that he’s still learning to trust. The Texas native has good control for his age.
The Year Ahead: Taillon should be ready to join Cole in the Majors by mid-season and the two hurlers could create a formidable two-headed monster at the top of the Pirates’ rotation for years to come.
The Career Outlook: After a couple more months of Triple-A seasoning, Taillon could be ready to start his big league career en route to a future as a No. 2 or 3 starter.
| Age | G | GS | IP | H | HR | K/9 | BB/9 | ERA | FIP |
| 19 | 24 | 24 | 111.1 | 54 | 9 | 13.26 | 4.93 | 2.18 | 3.19 |
The Year in Review: Glasnow joined Gregory Polanco as one of the biggest movers — in terms of prospect value — in the Pirates system in 2013. The young hurler walked 61 batters in 111.1 innings but allowed just 54 hits and struck out 164 batters. He held left-handed hitters to a .137 batting average.
The Scouting Report: This power righty is a less-developed version of Jameson Taillon. He doesn’t have the same control and he doesn’t leverage his height quite as well (to create plane and induce ground-ball outs) but he has a mid-90s fastball that can hit the upper 90s and a potentially-plus curveball. His changeup might actually end up being a little bit better than his teammate’s offering.
The Year Ahead: Glasnow, 20, will move up to High-A ball to open the 2014 season but he may not be there for long. The tall, lanky California native could receive a handful of starts at Double-A in the second half.
The Career Outlook: The right-hander still has a few rungs to climb to reach The Show but he has the talent to develop into a No. 2 starter once he polishes his command/control.
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